Tag Archives: Duke Football 2012

This spring, the Duke coaching staff has been scouting the country for the best defensive talent in the class of 2012, and they found an outstanding linebacker prospect in the state of California. Jeremiah Allison is a 6’1” 210 pound linebacker prospect from Dorsey High School in Los Angeles. The Blue Devils have had recruiting success on the west coast, bringing QB Brandon Connette, TE Cooper Helfet, WR Blair Holliday, and current 2012 LB commit Deion Williams to Durham in recent years. They hope that trend continues with Allison, who has received a verbal scholarship offer from Duke, along with Boise State, Colorado State, Nevada, SMU, and UCLA. As a junior, Allison was first team all-state, all-city, and all-league, totaling 88 tackles and 24 sacks. A standout both on the field and in the classroom, Allison is the prototypical play-making defender the Blue Devils are looking for in the class of 2012.

BDN: Can you start out by describing your strengths as a player?

Some of my strengths are that I’m a student of the game, I always want to learn more about the game. I’m very competitive and I’m able to get to the quarterback quite well. I’m always going one hundred miles per hour, and I never dwell on a bad play, I just try to move on to the next play.

BDN: What are some of the things you have been working on this spring?

I’m playing outside linebacker and I’m working on a lot of coverage, that’s a big key that I’ve been working on. Of course, you know, I can get around the corner and get to the quarterback, but the main priority is covering, so I’ve been working on that a lot.

BDN: What are your goals for yourself and for your team in your senior year?

Of course a championship, I want to bring a championship back to Dorsey. I want to break the sack record, which is 26. I came 6 short, well actually 2 because I had half-sacks. I want to make sure my teammates around me are able to get into colleges, so I just want to make sure we have an all-around great season.

BDN: What are the most important factors you’re looking for in a college?

Of course academics, with me being a 4.25 [GPA] student, I really stress the importance of education. The name of the player is a student-athlete, so being a student is a really big priority, and the college education is really big as well. So I’m really going to focus on education when I pick a college.

BDN: You mentioned academics as important to you; is there a particular field you are interested in studying?

Right now I’m thinking of two. Either going into law, because I love to debate and I feel that no one can beat me in a debate, or also anesthesiology. I really became fond of science so I’m thinking of going into medicine.

BDN: What schools have you had the most contact with this spring?

They’re all basically the same. They all contact me around the same amount. All the schools have really reached out to me.

BDN: Which schools have you had a chance to visit so far?

I took two unofficial visits – I took three actually. I took one to Stanford, one to Cal, one to UCLA...and one to USC. I went to Stanford for a Nike camp, but we ended up going up the day before for their Junior Day. And I went to UC Berkeley with one of my friends for their Junior Day, and of course UCLA and USC are right in my backyard so they’re easy campuses to reach.

BDN: Do you have any plans to visit some of the schools that are farther away?

Most definitely, I do have plans to visit schools away from California just so I can get a feel for the other aspects of America.

BDN: Do you have an idea for how you want to narrow things down and make a final decision?

Right now I just want to get the season started and see how we progress as a team. If our season is running smoothly, and I don’t have a lot of things on my plate, I’ll be able to get more into the college recruiting process and sitting down and thinking about where I want to go. But if the team depends on me to help them out with anything, I’m going to really focus on the team because for us seniors, this is our last shot.

BDN: Is there anything else that you think is important for college football fans to know about you?

One thing, the people who are going to be helping me make my decision are my Coach Lonnie Pumphrey and Coach Knox and my mother and my grandmother. And I just cherish the game of football, every time I go out there I’m trying to get better and I’m always trying to uplift my teammates and do the right thing.

Valor Christian's Alex Kozan is one of the top OL prospects in the class of 2012

In their three-plus years in Durham, Head Coach David Cutcliffe and Offensive Line Coach Matt Luke have built the Duke offensive line into what is expected to be a position of strength in 2011. The past two recruiting classes have brought in a very good group of young offensive linemen, and the Blue Devils hope to continue that trend with the class of 2012. Alex Kozan, a 6’4” 295 pound prospect from Valor Christian in Colorado, is one of the most highly recruited offensive linemen in the country, and the Blue Devils are among the long list of schools he is considering.

BDN: Can you start off by describing your strengths for fans who haven’t had a chance to see you play?

As a player, I’m smart, I never forget my assignments, I’ve got good quick feet that allows me to stay in good position. Explosiveness off the ball, hand contact, hip movement, that kind of stuff, that’d be my strength.

BDN: What are some of the things you have been working on this spring?

Pretty much everything, you know, you just work on technique, you’ve always got to work on technique when you’ve been off the game for six months, so you just work on pass technique, run technique, that kind of stuff.

BDN: Coming off back-to-back state championships, is a three-peat your goal for your senior year?

Definitely, you know we’ve got a strong senior class, we’ve got probably 25 seniors this year. A lot of us have been with the program since our freshman year, our first varsity year when we went 4-6 that year and then won two back-to-back championships, so we’re just trying to get it done for a three-peat this year.

BDN: As you look at your college decision, what are the most important factors you are looking for in a school?

Five things. Number one, business program, that’s going to be my major in college, so a good business program. Number two would be coaching staff that I get along with and is going to develop me as a player, send guys to the NFL and send guys to be All-Conference players. Number three is going to be the strength and conditioning program of the team, does it have a good strength and conditioning program? Will they develop me physically, get me bigger, faster, stronger? Number four is whether it’s a place where I can compete, both as a player to start earlier and where I can compete as a team for conference championships, BCS bowl games and national titles. Number five is that I have a strong faith in God, so a place where I can grow that faith and they’re going to be supportive of that.

BDN: What schools have you been in contact with the most?

On the East Coast, for your region, I’d say North Carolina, Duke, Wake Forest, South Carolina, would kind of be in that area. Up more Northeast would be Pitt, Syracuse and Connecticut.

BDN: Have any schools stopped by your practices this spring?

We’ve had Syracuse, UConn, I don’t think Duke came out, Wake came out, North Carolina is supposed to come out, I don’t know if they’re still coming. Those are the schools that have come out from the East Coast.

BDN: Do you have any visits planned for this spring or summer?

I’m still looking at it. I’m going to narrow it down to 7 or 5 by July or August and I’m going to try to visit as many of those schools as I can unofficially, and then a couple of them on official visits if they’re farther away, like schools on the East Coast, to get a better feel for the program.

BDN: It sounds like you have a good idea for when you want to narrow things down; do you have an idea for when you would like to make your final decision?

I want to take a couple officials, so I’d probably say October.

BDN: Is there anything else you think is important for college football fans to know about you?

You know, just off the field, I’m going to be a great person, a strong character for the team, I’m going to help the team off the field, I’m not a guy who will get in trouble or anything like that. On the field, I’ll give 110% and people will see that in my game.

Jacksonville (FL) safety Dwayne Norman is the 3rd member of Duke's class of 2012

Duke received their verbal third commitment in the class of 2012 on Wednesday night, as Florida safety Dwayne Norman pulled the trigger for the Blue Devils. Norman is a 6'0" 185 pound prospect from University Christian in Jacksonville, Florida. The speedy junior spoke with the Blue Devil coaching staff on Wednesday evening and informed them of his decision.

Duke was the first school to offer a scholarship to Norman and has been recruiting him the hardest this spring. Norman also had high interest in Georgia Tech and South Carolina. The hard-hitting safety also had scholarship offers from Miami (OH) and Florida Atlantic, and had been in contact with Vanderbilt.

BDN spoke to Dwayne earlier this spring, and it was clear that the Blue Devils had made a strong impression on him after taking a visit to Durham back in March. Check back with BDN later for more from Dwayne on his decision.

With Duke’s prolific passing offense, it’s no surprise that the Blue Devils have had success recruiting and developing talented wide receivers in Durham, most notably All-ACC performers Eron Riley, Donovan Varner, and Conner Vernon. The Blue Devils received their first commitment in the class of 2012 from the Jacksonville, Florida area in TE Erich Schneider, and hope to add another talented receiving prospect in Jared Crump. Crump is a 6’3” 195 pound wide receiver from Bartram Trail High School in Jacksonville. As a junior, the big, physical receiver finished the year with 34 receptions for 683 yards and 11 touchdowns, averaging an impressive 20 yards per catch. Highlights of Jared’s junior year, which earned him 3rd Team All-First Coast honors, can be viewed here.

BDN: Can you start off by describing your strengths for fans who haven’t had a chance to see you play?

I have good jumping ability. I have big, strong hands. I run pretty precise routes

BDN: What are some of the things you have been working on this offseason?

I think route running, and just the little stuff that you can always work on, that’s about it.

BDN: What are your goals for yourself and your team for your senior season?

For our team our goal is to go all the way and win state. So just keep our eye on the prize. That’s what we’re going for.

BDN: As you look at your college decision, what are the most important factors you are looking for in a school?

The reputation of the school, do I get along with the people at the school and the coaches, the people who play in front of me, who they recruited the year before, a little bit of playing time. If I wasn’t playing football, could I picture myself going there and being there for four years without sports.

BDN: Which schools have you been in contact with the longest or most often?

I have offers from West Virginia, Troy, Southern Miss, Wake [Forest] and FIU so far. Spring football, there’s supposed to be a lot of coaches coming down. And they said that they’re really interested and probably will make an offer once they come down and see me.

BDN: Have you had a chance to make any visits or do you have any visits planned?

I went to a lot of Junior Days and I went to some spring football games. Over the summer, me and my dad are going to go to a lot of schools this summer and visit schools.

BDN: Are there any schools in particular that you’re looking forward to visiting?

Me and my dad are going to sit down and make a list of schools that we think would be a good choice.

BDN: You mentioned your comfort level with the coaches and people at a school as important. In your contact with coaches so far, do you feel like you have a good relationship with any coach in particular?

I feel close with, I have a good contact with Coach [Kris] Cinkovich at Arkansas, Coach Steve Spurrier Jr. at South Carolina. The coaches at the schools who have offered me, I feel pretty close with them, and just a lot of coaches from other schools who say that they’re going to come down.

BDN: Do you have an idea for when you would like to make your final decision or how you would like to narrow your list down?

I think towards the end of summer and towards the beginning of the football season, I’ll have an idea of some of my top schools, but right now it’s kind of broad. But I think after the summer I’ll narrow it down once I visit schools and see how I like them all.

BDN: Is there anything else that you think is important for college football fans to know about you?

I’m easy to get along with, I’m very coachable, really respectful and a good teammate.

When Head Coach David Cutcliffe came to Durham, he vowed that he would transform the Blue Devils into a faster and more athletic team. In his first few recruiting classes, he has added several elite athletes, including Isaac Blakeney in 2010 and Jamison Crowder in 2011. The coaching staff is looking to continue that trend in the class of 2012, and Duke is one of the first two schools to offer a top athlete from Texas. Dontonio Jordan is a 5’11” 183 pound athlete from Corinth, Texas. His great speed and quickness have allowed him to play both receiver and running back for Lake Dallas High School. Highlights from his junior season can be viewed here.

BDN: Can you start off by describing your strengths for fans who haven’t had a chance to see you play?

Running back, that’s really my natural position. That’s where I played until I was a freshman, and then we had like 4 or 5 good running backs my sophomore year in high school, so they decided that playing receiver would be the best position for me at that time, for sophomore year. Junior year – last year – I got a little bit more running back carries, averaged 6.7 yards per carry, and about the same amount or receptions, but a lot more yards and I had 10 more touchdowns than I did the year before, so that was a good improvement.

BDN: You said you feel like running back is your natural position, is that where you want to play in college and what position have college coaches been talking to you about playing?

College are considering me as an inside receiver, because that’s all they’re really seen me as, as of right now. But after this year, because I think running back is more my natural position, I think I’m going to have a big year at running back this year and more colleges will be looking at me for that also.

BDN: What are some of the things you have been working on this offseason?

Me and my dad, my dad helps me out a lot. We go to the track probably every Sunday, we’re probably going out there later today. We go every Sunday and work on footwork drills and lateral movement. I still work on my route running and stuff, too, and I’m also lifting a lot of weights, when I can lift on weekends, on Saturdays with my dad also. I do push-ups at home, and stuff like that. I go to a camp every Tuesday and Thursday, I go to this thing called Velocity, where we do a lot of core training to get your core stronger, balance, 40 [yard dash] times, all types of stuff like that.

BDN: What are some of your goals for yourself and your team in your senior season?

Last year we had kind of a disappointment. We should have won easily to at least the fourth round of the playoffs, but we lost in the first round, just a couple of muffed punts and stuff like that. Next year, for me personally, I think I should have a 1,000 yard rushing season and about 700 yards receiving at least. I think our team, we have a lot of returning starters – we have 9 on offense and probably about 5 or 6 on defense – so we have a lot of experience and we have a lot more depth, so I think we should be able to go to at least the 4th round and face [defending state champion] Aledo [High School].

BDN: As you look at your college decision, what are the most important factors you are looking for in a school?

My top three things that I would look for is the proximity to home, and if I’m not close to home, say if I’m in North Carolina or California or somewhere like that, then how “homey” is it? Do I feel like it’s home to me? And early playing time is one of my top three also, and good coaching. All the coaches that I’ve talked to, most of them, I get a good vibe off of, and I like that I can build a relationship with the coaches.

BDN: I know we mentioned that Duke is one of the schools that has offered you. Which schools have you in contact with the most, and which schools have extended verbal offers?

Stanford is the only other offer that I have as of right now. I’m getting a lot of calls from people saying they’re coming to see me this spring, they want to evaluate me more, but they say an offer is on the way. Some other schools are saying that if I get my transcripts to them then I’ll get an offer. Schools like Tulsa, UConn, Baylor, Iowa, and Michigan State. Those are really the ones that I talk to the most often.

BDN: Have you had a chance to visit any schools, or do you have any visits planned?

As of right now, I think it’s almost set in stone that we’re visiting Stanford on May 14. Duke, I think we’re going to try to make a fall visit there. UConn, they’re trying to get me out there we just don’t know when. I’ve already visited Baylor, that was my first visit actually. I went to SMU yesterday. Iowa’s been trying to get me out there, but it’s really just all going to come down to my official visits, really.

BDN: So it sounds like you want to take some official visits this fall and make a decision after your season, is that right?

Yeah, yes sir.

BDN: Is there anything else that you think college football fans should know about you?

You know, I’m just a regular guy, nothing out of the normal about me.

BDN: Well it certainly sounds like you’re a hard worker and I just want to wish you best of luck with your recruitment. Thanks a lot, Dontonio.

While Duke worked hard to improve their defense on the field this spring, the coaching staff is also working hard to upgrade the defense with a talented group of prospects in the class of 2012. The Duke staff has targeted a small group of defensive backs who already have received verbal scholarship offers from the Blue Devils, and a few have also taken a visit to Durham this spring. One of the most recent prospects to pick up a verbal scholarship offer is Ronald Geohaghan, a 6’1” 190 pound prospect from Allendale, South Carolina. In addition to his football talents, Geohaghan is one of the top long jumpers in the country and has worked his way back from a meniscal tear during his sophomore year at Allendale-Fairfax HS. Highlights from his junior season can be viewed here.

BDN: Can you start off by describing your strengths for fans who haven’t had a chance to see you play?

You know, some of my strengths right now, I guess, you could say crunch time leadership, and also one of my strengths is I love being the first one to the ball. I also have my nose to the ball, also, which is the same thing as being first to the ball. I also like to watch game tapes on all of our opponents, three or four days before we play them on Friday. I also like to get two copies of a game of our opponent on a Sunday and then just watch throughout the week.

BDN: What are some of the things you have been working on this offseason?

I really want to be attending some combines ‘cause the offers are kinda rolling in and just probably attend like two or three camps, to work on my techniques, just keeping a low center of gravity because I’m a tall defensive back.

BDN: What are some of your goals for yourself and your team in your senior season?

My goal for my senior season, first off, lead my team to a state championship, and the region – well, first of all, a region championship, then the lower state to the state championship. And also, just I’m aiming got getting over ten interceptions in. I had one block kick where I jumped over a guy. So this year I’m aiming to get over five block kicks on special teams, whether it’s punt or like a punt field goal.

BDN: As you look at your college decision, what are the most important factors you are looking for in a school?

First off, academics. That’s most important anywhere that I’ll be signing and commiting, and second off, the coaching staff, and third, the players. And just – I mean, I think it’s most important with the grades and the players and the coaching staff because these are people that I’m going to be spending the next four years of my life with, guidance. I’m gonna have to create a chemistry so that we can win a lot of games and hopefully play a national championship.

BDN: Which schools have you been in contact with the longest, or have been hearing the most from?

Some, most of the schools that are kinda recruiting me the hardest right now that have extended offers and that haven’t are Clemson. And a lot of them that was recruiting me the hardest right now which is an in-state school. I get letters from them like every week from defensive staff. Second team, I’ll have to say is [South] Carolina ‘cause that’s another in-state school battling to get me. Third, I like to say it’s Illinois and also – I don’t really think I have a Number 4, but those are my top three that’s recruiting me the hardest right now.

BDN: You mentioned you were able to visit Duke a couple times. How have those visits gone and what other schools have you had a chance to visit so far?

I had a chance to visit Georgia Tech, Clemson, and University of South Carolina, and I’m also gonna be visiting Duke and NC State, I think at the end of this month [March].

Ronald Geohaghan is also one of the top long jumpers in the country

BDN: Do you have an idea for how or when you would like to narrow your list of schools down and ultimately make a decision?

Right now, I don’t really want to make a fast decision because I mean, Clemson was one of my favorite schools at the beginning which is sending me my first verbal offer, but I just want to take my time and see what most of the other schools have to offer, because most of the guys that commit early, most of the schools just back off them after they commit. So I just want to take my time and enjoy the recruiting process and see what each school has to offer academically and athletically.

BDN: Is there anything else that you think is important for college football fans to know about you?

Well, my freshman year I was ranked as the Number 2 long jumper in my class of 2012, and I kinda had a ACL meniscus injury in my sophomore year early in track season so I missed a lot of track and football, which kinda made me take a step back and also the recruiters ‘cause I was sposed to be expecting some early offers, but they kinda took a step back to see how I was gonna rehab and recovery. The recovery and rehab was very successful. I sat out six months, and I missed the first three games of the season, and I also made third team All-State. And I was also invited to try out for the 2011 USA World Team trials in Myrtle Beach, and if I make the top 10 in long jump, I’ll be competing in the World Youth Games in France this summer in July.